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Friday, July 4, 2014

4th of July, 2014: Happy Independence Day!

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary...

Thus begins the Declaration of Independence, (full text at link) a document so powerful that it would change the course of World History. This amazing manuscript was adopted by representatives of the Original 13 Colonies on July 4,1776 and concluded with these stirring words, "And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."

Outlining what Abraham Lincoln would later call "a government of the people, by the people and for the people", the Declaration is perhaps the most significant document in the history of our Republic.

Fast forward to July 4, 2014. Today we celebrate the 238th Birthday of the United States of America, an experiment in self-governance that has proven to be he best form of administration of society in the History of Man. While hundreds of millions of Americans note this day with fireworks, backyard barbecues and sports, let us honor the men who did indeed "mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor" and the Early Americans who sacrificed so much so that we may live in Freedom today.

A Few Little-Known Patriotic Facts About July 4

31Number of places nationwide with "liberty" in their name. The most populous one is Liberty, Missouri (29,149). Iowa has more of these places than any other state: four (Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty).

Eleven places have "independence" in their name. The most populous of these is Independence, Missouri, with 116,830 residents.

Five places adopted the name "freedom." New Freedom, Pennsylvania with 4,464 residents, has the largest population among these.

There is one place named "patriot" — Patriot, Indiana, with a population of 209.

And what could be more fitting than spending the day in a place called "America"? There are five such places in the country, with the most populous being American Fork, Utah, with 26,263 residents.

During all the fun activities you have going on today, I hope you'll take a few minutes to re-read the Declaration of Independence and absorb the magnificence of its words and their meaning. Talk about it with your kids and/or grand kids. Recall our Founding Fathers and the enormous risks they were taking so that they, their families and all future Americans could enjoy the fruits of Liberty.
It's an astounding story.However, it will only be an astounding story as long as Patriots"mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor".